Gotham Skies
by PyroQueenOfFire
Summary: When Tara's parents die, she now permanently resides in Wayne Manor with her great uncle, Alfred, and her Godfather, Bruce. She's the only one outside of Alfred and Lucius who know Batman's identity...and she has some unrequited love for Bruce...
1. October Tears

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**What started out as venting has turned into something fun.**

**I have NO idea how long this will be.**

**It will probably be rather short, and I adjusted ages a smidge.**

**It's angsty…but there's some fluff and bonding.**

**This first blip here is merely the introduction—everything will get longer as the story progresses, and again, dunno how long it will be yet.**

****

Was this the way that it was supposed to be? Soft breeze, autumn leaves, October sky? For some reason it really didn't seem fitting to her to bury her parents in the same month that their wedding anniversary was in—the same month her mother's birthday was in. The tears hadn't stopped from the moment she looked at herself in the mirror that morning, Alfred telling her how beautiful she looked…how much she looked like her mother. In fact everyone always told her that she looked like her mother, but she had her father's brains and his adorable nose. This was almost too much for her.

"Do you want me to stay with you, Tara?" Alfred asked her, slipping his worn hand into hers and giving it a good squeeze. "Master Bruce and I can wait here with you or in the car if you want your privacy with them."

Tara held onto Alfred's hand firmly and he nodded, stepping closer to her and blotting his eyes with the back of his other hand. She couldn't voice what she wanted yet, but Alfred knew his great niece well enough to know that when she needed something, she held on for dear life. This was his niece in the ground with her husband, their daughter left behind, and since Alfred's sister had been deceased for a few years too, he was all the family that Tara had left. Bruce had gladly welcomed her into his home, having been a very close friend of her father's, and having known Tara all of her life.

"I'll stay too, Tara." Bruce promised, resting his hand on her head to pull her to him, kissing the top of her head softly.

Tara squeezed her eyes shut to push away the thoughts about Bruce as his chapped lips pressed against her soft hair. It was just the three of them, staring at where her parents had been buried a few hours ago, and she wanted to honor her parents…not think about how Bruce was making her fall even more in love with him at that very moment. Just a few days ago a car crash had taken her parents from her, and she honestly couldn't even begin to imagine how she was going to get through this. She was 22, freshly out of college, and only four months ago her parents had seen her graduate, Alfred and Bruce there as well, even though Bruce had been fidgety.

She understood that, seeing as how she knew the _exact_ reason why Bruce was conflicted between leaving and staying—seeing as how she knew he was Batman. When she was 15, Bruce had finally come back from his traversing around the world, and Batman had shown, which made Tara rather curious. Alfred and Bruce had never planned on exposing the teenage girl to such things since she spent the majority of her time in the mansion anyway for private school in Gotham and had other things to focus on, but she caught on rather early on when Bruce sported his first bruises. She quickly figured out what the two men were always working on, and from that point on she'd been a large part of nursing Bruce back to health when he needed it, and figuring out riddles and such when she could.

"We can go." Tara finally managed. "I don't think there's anything more for me to do or say for now."

Alfred and Bruce both nodded, Bruce pulling Tara into a side hug as Alfred let go of her hand and headed for the car. Tara tried to shrug off the feelings for Bruce to remember her parents, and it worked mostly, but she couldn't help but breathe in the after shave and dirt smell. It wasn't a bad smell…in fact Tara quite enjoyed the fact that most of the time Bruce smelt like he'd been hard at work…it was when you added the smell of blood to the mix that she got a little worried. Especially theses days with the foes that _both_ Bruce Wayne and Batman were accumulating.

"How about we all go out for a bite to eat? How is that?" Bruce asked her.

Tara looked up at him as he sat next to her in the backseat of the car, and nodded—she liked that idea more than she was willing to let on.

**Note: Flash forward next part, and there will be a LOT of flashbacks. Feedback is love!**


	2. Forbidden Attraction

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**And the venting continues.**

**=D**

****

"Miss Tara Porter, what in the world are you doing?" Bruce asked her that morning with a chuckle as he entered the kitchen. "And in your pajamas no less?"

It had been four months since they had buried Alan and Elizabeth Porter in Gotham Cemetery, and Tara had finally been giving pushing on with her life some serious effort. She had finally decided that she was done moping, which had made her great uncle and her godfather incredibly happy, and in the spirit of moving on, Bruce had gotten Tara a job at Wayne Enterprises. He figured it was as good a place as any to keep an eye on her, and seeing as how she inspired him with both his day _and_ night job anyway, it seemed the perfect place for her. Bruce wanted Tara to feel as comfortable as possible with all the new and sudden changes in her life, and so this seemed the best way to do just that…give her semi-familiar things to occupy her time with as she adjusted.

Tara turned to Bruce and heaved a heavy sigh. "I was making pancakes until Uncle Alfred told me that you had decided to skip breakfast so you could go test out one of Lucius' models for a new and improved Batmobile and then go spelunking to try and make the Batcave larger. So I am now cleaning up after myself—did you bust your lip?!"

"Tara, I'm fine, I swear." Bruce said, holding up his hands in surrender, but the persistent brunette came over to him and sighed, heading to the cupboard to grab herself something to fix his lip with.

"Tara, really—Alfred fixed me up last night." Bruce protested, watching her as she rummaged through the medicine cabinet.

"Honestly, is it so hard to wake a person up to help when you go and get yourself beaten up?" Tara asked him, pulling out the witch hazel and a cotton ball and turning to him. "One of these days you're going to get back from gallivanting off trying to save Gotham and Alfred isn't going to be here and you'll need me. Hell, you need me now."

Bruce chuckled a bit and decided not to fight her as she pointed to a chair, and he sat down and let her go about fixing his lip. He knew it really just made her feel like she was needed when she helped him, but it was a work day for her and she was still in her tank top and pajama pants, instead of in her business attire. Even though he had the day off that day, Tara had a job to do and she was more than happy to do it, she just wanted to make sure that Bruce was going to be all right. In fact she _did_ know he'd be fine…Alfred would be here just in case, but Tara was getting more and more used to thinking as if anyone could drop dead any second—side effect of the car accident.

"Hey, Tara…how's your bruise?" Bruce asked her, wincing a little at the witch hazel, thankful when she took it away and went to put it back.

She shrugged. "It's fine. I, uh…I'm fine."

Bruce just nodded because he knew how much she hated talking about the car accident—especially since she had survived it. He knew she would never forgive Joker for what he'd done to her parents, and he knew that no matter what she did, she couldn't push their memories away. Sadly Bruce knew better than anyone what it was like to have your parents taken from you right in front of you, and though he had hoped that no one else would ever have to go through that…it was a bitter part of life Tara had to accept. She plastered a bright smile on her face and it warmed Bruce's heart and tore him out of his head for just a moment—she had such a beautiful smile.

"I need to go get ready for work." Tara told Bruce, reaching out to stroke his hair softly. "Try not to get killed today, please?"

Bruce smiled at her reassuringly and then placed a soft kiss on her forehead and headed towards the Batcave, Tara settling the butterflies in her stomach and heading directly for her room to get ready to go to work. Staying with Bruce had been both a blessing and a curse for Tara, and she was desperate to make this experience as good as possible. The only thing she couldn't convince herself of? Telling Bruce exactly how she felt about him, even though she knew the idea of it would freak him out given their 15 year age difference, and his hidden morality.

****

During her lunch break Tara found herself reading the Gotham Chronicle and she wasn't quite sure why. She used to read it daily just because her best friends, Jessica London and Marie Ferris had their own columns in it, but since the accident her parents faces—and her own—still had yet to leave the newspaper for good…and it had been _four_ months. They were no longer on the front page, but people were still digging up things about the accident, and about where Joker might be, and the picture never changed…it was still the three of them…like it used to be when they were a family.

"_Mom? Dad? I'm home!" Tara exclaimed bags in hand. "Uncle Alfred fed me before I got on the plane, but I'm ready for home cooking!"_

_She laughed as her parents both appeared and came to smother her in hugs, her father holding her out at arms length while her mother explained what dinner would be like. Tara rolled her eyes as they paid all of the attention to her, but secretly she was glad they were so excited to have her home. She spent most of her time at Wayne Manor going to school, and she loved getting to go back to spend the time with her mother and father—even it meant leaving Bruce and Alfred behind._

"_Are you really my little girl? You're so tall now!" Her father exclaimed._

_Tara nodded and did a spin just for him. "I really am! Alfred's actually been measuring me while I was there—I've got lots of pictures."_

_Her mother smiled and hugged her again. "It's nice to have you home—while you're here I'm going to put some more meat on your bones."_

"_That would be splendid, I'd love that." Tara told her genuinely._

"Tara!" A male voice said, snapping his fingers and pulling her out of her memories.

Tara looked at him and blushed as she smiled embarrassedly. "Sorry, Mike. What is it that you need from me?"

"Mr. Pennyworth is on line one for you, Tara." Mike replied, and then he was off just like that as Tara reached out for the phone on her desk and pressed the button to connect the call.

She took a deep breath and then plastered a smile on her face. "Good afternoon, Uncle Alfred. I hope this is just a friendly social call."

Alfred nodded slowly and then closed his eyes. "Bruce took a tumble in the Batcave today, and I think he needs you so I can go out and get the doctor. I'm really sorry about this, Tara."

"Don't be silly, Uncle Alfred! I'm on my way!" Tara promised, and hurriedly went to take the rest of the day off.

Honestly, Tara practically had her run of Wayne Enterprises given her situation with Bruce, and though she would have rather gotten to where she was on her own, she knew with Bruce being Batman, she'd have to take advantage of it all. After all, Bruce was only human, and though in top physical condition, he was still liable to hurt or even kill himself, which is why Tara was so protective of him…that and she was in love with him. She was in love with him, and she wasn't really sure why it had to Bruce, but deep down she knew it just had to be.

"Alfred, I'm fine!" Bruce exclaimed as Alfred told him to lie back down and Tara entered the room. "You called Tara? Alfred!"

"Don't scold him!" Tara said, smacking Bruce in the shoulder and pointing to the bed as she sat on it, Bruce sighing and lying down. "You have a gash in your side and you're not going back into that cave until the doctor comes and takes a look at you! Do you have a death wish?!"

Bruce swallowed and reached out to stroke Tara's hair, instantly calming her down. He was completely and utterly attached to his goddaughter, and all he wanted was for her to know that he was going to be fine. He was Batman after all…he was going to make it through this minor flesh wound with no trouble at all, and Alfred and Tara would just have to accept that.

**Note: I think I should warn you guys that I will be adding comic book stuff in here and not keeping up ENTIRELY with Batman Begins and Dark Knight…there will be some elements of the other Batman movies as well. This is pretty much Batman in his entirety, in a balance that I prefer him in. Also…not every theme in here is pretty, so be warned now.**


	3. Constant Reliance

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Okay, another chapter.**

**This one is a little lighter, but the angst is still there.**

**PS Rachel is dead and Selina Kyle is Bruce's ex and the only woman he ever truly loved.**

**=P**

****

Tara picked up one of the little mini cucumber sandwiches from the silver metal tray that Alfred had set on the table in one of the empty dens, three sleeping bags sprawled out on the floor. The original plan had been that the girls night was going to be held at Jessica's house, but since Bruce had his accident, Tara had begged her and Marie to have the sleepover at the mansion. It was a little iffy for Bruce since he didn't want Jessica or Marie to snoop around and figure anything out, but honestly Tara didn't think that was going to be a problem at all, seeing as how neither of them really cared what Bruce Wayne did after hours—not even Jessica.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute—you're _officially_ dating Edward Nigma, now?" Marie asked Jessica, who was sporting a wild grin on her face about her new boyfriend…her new boyfriend who hated Bruce.

Jessica nodded vigorously. "Yep—he officially asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday."

Tara laughed and shook her head as she bit into the mini sandwich. "I really can't believe that you're _my_ best friend and you're dating a guy that has it out for Bruce. You remember Bruce, right? Tall, dark and handsome? Lets me live in his house? Gave me a job at his company? Any of that ringing a bell for you at all?"

Jessica rolled her eyes and shrugged, grabbing a mini sandwich herself. "Look, the men can fight all they want to it has nothing to do with us. Eddy is an intelligent man and he's rather sweet and I'm lucky to have him. I mean come on, Tara, _you're_ the only with the rather dysfunctional love life. I have Eddy, Marie has Harvey, and you're pining after a guy fifteen years older than you that's your _godfather_."

"She has a point, Tara." Marie told her with a shrug after swallowing her bite of sandwich. "I mean I think it's about time you got yourself out there into the real world and got yourself a man that was capable of returning your feelings."

"Are you saying Bruce isn't capable of loving?" Tara asked them, even though she knew for a fact that wasn't how they had meant it.

Tara shoved a whole mini sandwich into her mouth and tried desperately to just focus on how damn good the sandwich was and not on how her friends were looking at her. The three of them had been through everything together and it was incredibly important to her that they side with her on the subject of Bruce even though it was incredibly hard for anyone to do that. Not only was the age gap between them so significant, but he was her Godfather, and even though Alfred was her close relative and it was his job to care for her after her parents passed, but it was kind of Bruce's job as well. She was sort of his pseudo daughter, and that in itself was going to have him shut the idea of the two of them ever being together down entirely—Bruce had morals.

"I think you know exactly what we're saying, Tara." Marie told her, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "We're not trying to be mean or too blunt, but we don't want to see you wasting away for a guy that isn't going to reciprocate anything."

Tara was about to respond when the three heard a loud noise and they came out into the hall and turned to see Bruce sighing because he hadn't meant to alert them. He had been trying so hard to be quiet, but had lost his footing and ran into a cart that Alfred had left in the hallway as he cleaned, and now Tara was going to give him Hell. Alfred had decided to keep to the room he was cleaning, knowing Tara would have it under control and also knowing that Bruce would listen to her. No one aside from Jessica and Marie even knew about Tara's unrequited love for Bruce, but everyone understood the care and respect that lay between the two, and most people let them be to handle things together since they seemed to like it that way.

"Bruce Wayne!" Tara exclaimed.

Bruce sighed loudly and then shrugged. "I am _not_ apologizing, all right? I am hungry and I am going downstairs to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich."

"Like Hell you are." Tara replied, Jessica and Marie rolling their eyes and laughing as Tara made her way over to him and pointed to his room, firmly standing her ground in front of him in between him and the stairs. "The doctor told you to stay in bed so you wouldn't tear your stitches! Alfred and I are perfectly capable of getting you food!"

"Tara, I am _not_ a child!" Bruce exclaimed, but he sighed and headed back to his room when she continued to block his descent down the stairs. "You have friends to get back to, so why are you focusing attention on me?"

Tara laughed and followed him into his room. "Neither Jess nor Marie are in any danger of reopening their sides, so you're my top priority, Princess."

She flashed him a teasing smile as he looked at her shocked, not happy she called him that, but not able to keep the laugh in. He knew she was simply worried about his well being, but he couldn't help but wish that she'd give him just a little more space to breathe because he hadn't being inactive—hated feeling helpless. On the other hand, he knew that she knew who he really was, and if he reopened his side, there was no way he was going to be able to put on his rubber suit and stalk the night. It was bad enough he wasn't going to be able to be out tonight, and since he was hungry and she was unrelenting, Bruce went ahead and gave in.

"All right—I want a cucumber sandwich and one of my shakes." Bruce told her.

Tara beamed at him and shrugged a little. "That gross shake of yours I can make for you easy, but the girls and I ate all of the cucumber sandwiches already cause Uncle Alfred made them for _us_. Want something meaty instead, Bruce?"

"You know how much I like those sandwiches!" Bruce protested loudly.

"You are such a baby, Princess. I'll make you a cucumber sandwich—take a chill pill already." Tara told him, both of them smiling because they knew he was actually mad at her. "Oh and by the way…Jess is bringing Edward to the gala this weekend."

Bruce's jaw dropped. "Edward? As in Edward _Nigma_? Tara! Why do you insist on letting her make my life complicated?"

"Because you hate it when things are easy." Tara replied, leaving the room and heading downstairs to tend to Bruce's hunger needs.

Tara quickly whipped up one of Bruce's energy shakes, and then grabbed out the cucumbers and chopped them up, getting out the bread and the cream cheese, and making mini sandwiches she was sure weren't as good as Alfred's. She had hoped that the art of finger food would be passed down through blood or something, but as she tried one, as good as they were, they just weren't Alfred's masterpieces. Even though she was fairly certain that Bruce's taste buds would be tainted by the shake anyway, she felt a little bad about giving him finger sandwiches with no magic to them.

"What kind of face is that?" Bruce asked her as she cam in and handed him the plate and the glass.

Tara sighed and shrugged. "They don't taste like they were made by magic elves in trees."

Bruce chuckled and put one in his mouth. "They're damn good though."

Tara nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. "I know they're damn good, Bruce, but I was kinda hoping that there was some sort of inherited magic you know?"

"You were meant for more than this, Tara." Bruce explained, and held out his hand for hers.

She rested her hand in his and she blushed a little and Bruce noticed, but wasn't sure what to think of the reaction. He knew that since her parents died she had been a little guarded when it came to human contact so it could have been that, but for some reason the look on her face reminded him of Selina. He actually hadn't thought about Selina in a long while, but Tara reminded him of her sometimes, and he couldn't deny that. Shaking the thought away he gave her hand a squeeze and looked her in the eye, giving her one of his dazzling smiles.

"Think you could help me with a Batman related problem, Tara?" Bruce asked her, grinning when she said 'duh' and nodded. "Good—tomorrow after the sisterhood leaves, we can start."

**Note: Sorry this chapter wasn't action packed at all: it's a filler though. Joker action happens in the next one, as well as a Wayne Enterprises Gala. =D Also, next chapter is a little…some themes come into play not everyone will appreciate or enjoy, so you're warned now and I will warn you again at the beginning of the next chapter.**


	4. VERY IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE****:**

_**Hey guys.**_

_**I have some bad news…**_

_**So last night my laptop died…and I haven't backed it up for two months.**_

_**What does that mean?**_

_**That means I have lost a whole lot.**_

_**That means I have no new updates and probably won't for a while.**_

_**I'm on my mother's computer right now and I don't know when I'm gonna get my laptop fixed or when I'm gonna get my documents back.**_

_**They think that since it's a driver/hardware problem they can fix it and recover my stuff.**_

_**We'll see.**_

_**Mom and I have fixing it on the highest priority—we're trying to get it done by Tuesday, but I don't know.**_

_**For those of you that don't know, I am going to Pennsylvania bright and early on the 22**__**nd**__**, and won't be back until the 28**__**th**__**.**_

_**However we also just got a new place and will be moving in there when I get back and I won't have Internet access until a week after that…or longer depending on how severe this laptop problem is.**_

_***makes a not happy face***_

_**I just wanted to let you guys know that it could be a while before I get anything updated at all and I'm kind of really messed up over it.**_

_**I seriously HATE losing documents.**_

_**I apologize that you guys have to wait forever again.**_

_**I love you all for your support of me.**_

**Kyla aka Pyro**


	5. Torturous Questions

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Sorry it has been so long since I updated this one!**

**It's a little short, but that's because I think this story can only handle so much darkness at once, you know?**

**I decided to take this in a new direction after my hard-drive died so the gala is in the next one, sorry.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Jimi and Nikole because they both need it and I love them very much.**

**=D**

****

"They look less than perfect." Tara said with a frown.

Heather George was one of Tara's closest working companions and she was madly in love with Commissioner James Gordon. Tara actually didn't mind that in the slightest—she and Bruce owed quite a lot to the Commissioner and without him Batman would still be thought of as a fame-seeking-vigilante. Still none of that was going to matter if Tara couldn't get the place to look good enough to have people there.

"I think you're being too hard on yourself." Heather told her with a shrug. "I think Bruce would be stupid to not let you host another one of these. Honestly I'm glad he hired you."

Tara smiled at her. "Thank you so much, Heather. So…you asked Jim to the Gala yet?"

"What? No!" Heather told her, a blush rising in her cheeks. "I don't think that would be very professional, so you?"

"His divorce is all finalized and he flirts with you like crazy." Tara replied with a shrug. "I say you should just go for it."

Heather rolled her eyes. "He does _not_ flirt with me so be quiet. Hey, you're right—less than perfect."

Tara made a face, but then Heather moved the flower vase on the table so it was more centered and they decided to make sure each table had the flowers moved. There was still something missing, but Tara wasn't quite sure what it was yet. All she knew was that she wanted everything to be perfect for Bruce and this was the only thing she had complete control over because Bruce had left it in her hands.

"What about you, Tara? Who are _you_ inviting to the gala?" Heather asked her. "It looks like pretty much everyone here has a date except for you and Bruce, but Bruce always ends up with a super model of some sort or a cheap floozy off the street so…you have anyone in mind?"

Tara swallowed and shook her head. "Nah…I think I'll fly solo on this one, actually."

"Honestly? I mean I'm sure Edward or Harvey has a friend you could invite. Jessica and Marie would _never_ let you go alone." Heather told her with a laugh. "I've met them when you've brought them in and they're pretty adamant about you getting yourself a boyfriend."

"Yes well, maybe I don't want one right now." Tara said with a shrug and then she and Heather laughed.

Of _course_ she wanted one! It was just that the guy that she wanted had _no_ idea that she was even interested and even if he did, nothing would happen with it. Besides, there was a new Batman problem and the sooner she got back to help him with it, the sooner she could ask him to the Gala. It was a good shot because they both had no date and it could be strictly friends with no strings attached and she could wear a killer dress and look amazing…but first things first they had to solve the Batman problem.

"Wait a minute…where is Mike?" Tara asked as she looked around. "I got called in to check over things last minute and Mike isn't even here?"

Heather looked around too and shrugged. "I couldn't even begin to tell you, Tara."

****

Joker smiled at Mike maliciously and listened to the man's labored breathing. The sessions definitely wasn't going the way he wished it was going, but at the same time he couldn't be _too_ disappointed—the man was singing a little bit.

"I still don't understand what you want from me." Mike told Joker, tasting the metallic blood on his tongue. "What is it that you think _I_ know?"

Joker laughed a little. "Please…you know all about where Tara is now."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Mike replied, swallowing when he saw Joker come closer to him again with the knife.

Joker didn't know it, but Mike was madly in love with Tara and he had been for a little while. He knew she wasn't attracted to him, but there was no way he was going to squeal—if he had to die to protect her he would. Still, he couldn't deny that the pain of the knife slicing into his chest wasn't completely unbearable…he just couldn't let Joker win this…he couldn't let Tara get hurt.

"Her parents left her and they left her with something that I need." Joker explained as Mike grunted out in pain and Joker sliced some more. "All you need to tell me is how to get to her alone."

Mike shook his head. "Again, I have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

"How do I get to her without dealing with Bruce Wayne?" Joker asked again, cutting a little deeper this time.

"Bruce will never let you touch her!" Mike found himself blurting out, and he hated himself a little for breaking even that tiny bit.

Joker smiled though, pleased with himself. "And we're getting there…"

****

When Tara went through the door to the Wayne Mansion she smiled a little because the place just felt like home. It hurt her, a little bit to think that, but at the same time she knew that deep down wherever Bruce was, that was where her 'home' was. Tara missed her parents and thinking about them made her heart hurt, but she knew that if she constantly dwelled on the past then she would never make it past it.

"Bruce?" Tara asked softly, taking off her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. "Uncle Alfred?"

Alfred came into the Greeting Hall and smiled at her, kissing her cheek and offering her his arm. Bruce was in the Batcave dealing with the problem he had needed help on, and so Alfred simply showed Tara down there and they talked about the upcoming Gala on the way there. It was something Tara was supposed to be proud of, but she wasn't sure how it was all going to turn out in the end when things just felt like she was supposed to be doing something else—and she still didn't know where Mike was.

"There you are! Now I know you don't like working on this with me but…I think Joker's on the rise again." Bruce announced when he saw Tara and Alfred enter his enclave.

He'd been working on the issue all day and he still didn't know where Joker was, but he knew Joker was the problem. Joker had a master plan and Bruce wasn't sure how to track him and figure out what that plan was, but he knew he could do anything—he was freaking Batman!

"Joker?" Tara asked, the lump rising in her throat. "What exactly…"

Alfred gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Master Bruce maybe you should let Tara ask you her question first and _then_ you can get back to your Batman business. You after all have _two_ identities that have business to attend to."

"What question, Tara?" Bruce asked her, scouring over some charts.

"Will you go to the Gala with me?" Tara asked him, biting her lip as she waited for the answer.

**Note: So the gala is in the next one and this story will ALWAYS be angsty, okies? Just with SOME light humor and SOME darkness. Enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated!**


	6. Wanted Answers

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**I know it has been FOREVER, but I am back with some 'Gotham Skies'!**

**WARNINGS: None in this chapter, but it's a little dark and Joker's in it, and there's a bit of violence.**

**ENJOY!**

xxxx

Bruce hadn't been expecting Tara to ask him about something as trivial as a Gala, but at the same time he had to admit that he was kind of glad. The two of them had been spending a _lot_ of time together recently and honestly he had really enjoyed having the company…he had enjoyed seeing her kind of happy. At the same time, he knew he really needed to be focusing on the task at hand and not his Bruce Wayne Gala.

"Of course I will," Bruce told her, smiling at her. "I don't know how much of a date I'm going to be with this Joker threat looming over us all though."

Tara waved it off. "That's fine, I understand that. You can rush away whenever you need to and hey, I'm like the perfect date in that respect—you don't have to lie about where you're running off to."

"I never really thought about it like that." Bruce admitted, smiling and nodding.

He had to admit that he loved the idea of not having to hide anything from the people that he was with. Tara knew everything about him—she even knew him better than he knew himself—and it would be nice to be able to be around her instead of some model that he picked up for his image. Besides, spending more time with him would make him happy and bring him out of his funk.

"I look forward to being your date." Bruce told her with a nod. "Now…the Joker problem?"

Tara smiled and then nodded. "Right, the Joker problem…what exactly is it that makes you think he's…oh, I see."

Tara frowned when Bruce showed her the note and a picture he had sent and then she had to look away. Bruce immediately felt bad that he had just made Tara look at such a bloody picture when Joker had hurt her parents and taken them from her. Granted the torture and the car accident were two separate occasions, but both had been done by Joker. They were moments that Bruce regretted more than anything and he couldn't take them back.

"Sorry, Tara." Bruce said as Alfred took the picture and the note and Tara just smiled weakly and then walked over to the table in the enclave that Bruce worked at. "You don't have to help me with this."

Tara laughed softly. "Oh, but I do. There are all sorts of things I have to do to make things up to you, Bruce. Jess is bringing Ed to the Gala, remember? Not to mention the letter makes it seem like he's after me—the girl he didn't kill in the car accident."

"I don't want you to be anywhere near him, Tara." Bruce told her, walking up to the table and leaning on it, looking at her. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."

Alfred was going to weigh in on the conversation and tell Tara how much she meant to him as well, but the look that Tara gave Bruce as she slowly lifted up her eyes to make contact with his, he kept his mouth shut. Tara smiled a little and blushed, nodding slowly and then looking back at some of the information that Bruce had on where Joker might possibly be.

"So where do we start, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked him, sitting down next to Tara and looking over the papers. "Shall we fire up the Batmobile?"

Bruce nodded slowly. "Yes—and keep the comm open."

xx

"I wonder where Tara is going to be…" Joker said slowly, looking at the man tied in the chair. "Last man I talked to wasn't as accommodating as I think that you will be."

The man looked up at him. "So…are you going to kill me?"

"Are you going to give me my information?" Joker asked him.

"Tara…Bruce Wayne's Goddaughter?" The man asked the villain.

Joker smiled a toothy smile that made the man shrink a little bit, and he took a deep breath when Joker nodded. He wanted to know all of her haunts and where she liked to eat out—he knew she would be at the Wayne Mansion. As much as he wanted Tara, and wanted her dead, he didn't want to have to deal with Bruce if he didn't have to—he didn't have a beef with Bruce Wayne.

"Besides the mansion?" The man asked.

Joker sighed loudly. "Yes…besides the mansion."

"She eats at Hudson's once a month." The man told him softly, shrugging through his restraints. "It's the Italian restaurant on Main Street."

"That's very helpful…has she been there this month?" Joker asked him.

"She was planning on going there the day after the Gala that Bruce Wayne is throwing." The man explained to him. "Can I go now?"

Joker nodded slowly, and walked away from the man, the man realizing that he wasn't even getting out. He had been lied to and he should have known, but at the same time he didn't understand why he was being hurt—he didn't understand why Tara was so important. Shaking his head and pleading, the man watched as Joker approached with a knife, and then he got his throat slit.

xx

Heather smiled as she entered the diner that night, Jessica, Marie and Tara at a table in the back, having a nice little dinner. The girls wanted to get together and talk about the Gala and catch up with each other and the diner was one of Tara's favorite places. She got her coffee from the diner in the mornings as often as possible, and tonight she was glad to see her friends.

"You seem happier than normal tonight." Heather told Tara as everyone greeted her and she sat down. "What happened that I'm missing out on?"

Marie laughed a little. "Tara and Bruce are going to the Gala together."

"And they're even calling it a date." Jessica said nodding. "However, we've all agreed that they're not actually in a relationship."

"It's just a mutually beneficial partnership." Tara said with a shrug. "Doesn't mean I'm not happy to be going with him though."

"Well of course you are!" Heather exclaimed, taking off her coat as sat there next to Tara and across from Jessica, who was next to Marie. "You've had a thing for him for _ages_."

Jessica laughed loudly. "Speaking of crushes that have been going on for ages…you asked Jim to the Gala yet?"

"Is _this_ what you guys all gossip about?" Heather asked them, her cheeks flushing crimson.

Tara shrugged and smiled. "We have to gossip about _something_ and it's not going to be Joker and what _he's_ up to."

"I heard he was at it again." Heather admitted with a nod.

The whole table fell silent because it wasn't really a topic of discussion—everyone knew that Joker was behind Tara's parents' death, and they knew it was hard for her to deal with. Still, it was nice to have a change of discussion when Jim Gordon walked into the diner to buy himself something to eat. Suddenly the table was loud with conversation and they were sending Heather over to talk to the Police Commissioner. They wanted her to be happy to, and to have a date to the Gala…maybe even a new boyfriend.

**Note: And there you have it: some darkness, and do I sense some Bruce/Tara in our future? The Gala will be next chapter. Feedback is always appreciated!**


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